Doctor Who: The Evangelion Error (Book One)

Prequel to Episode 5

Tokyo-3 Loop Line 7. Early September 2015.

"Do you really think he likes me?" Kanade asked.

"Of course he does, silly." Ayase patted her friend on the back. "He gave you those flowers, didn't he?"

"You... don't think I'm too tall for him?" Kanade slouched down further into her seat. She was the tallest in their class, the poor girl.

"I'm sure he doesn't care about something like that." Ayase pushed her glasses against her nose.

"He's a waste of time, if you ask me," Yuki said. She brushed back her pale hair.

Ayase sighed. Yuki always had to act so tough. She was already strong - she was the most popular of the three of them, in spite of her being an albino - but somehow that never seemed to be enough for her. "Yukkkiii..."

"Well, he is." Yuki stood up as the train pulled into the station. They needed to transfer to line 2 here to get back home from their high school, since line 3 was still out of service. "I'm sorry, but I just can't stand guys like that. If he really cared about you, Kanade, he'd just say something already. If he can't do that, how deep do you really think his feelings go?"

"Yuki, this isn't about you and Hideaki," Ayase said quietly.

"Did I ever say it was?" Yuki crossed her arms. The train doors opened.

***

Sengokuhara Station

They had to wait for the next train, so Yuki and Kanade went to the bathroom. Ayase didn't. All the bathrooms on this line were so gross. Instead, she went to the vending machines and looked for bottled water. They were out, of course. Everyone had been buying as much as they could ever since the government had declared the water supply from the north suspect.

God, she hated this station. It was always so creepy here. There was no one else on the platform except for her. The stations on line 3 were so much nicer. If only that stupid Angel hadn't damaged the track...

She glanced at the entrance to the women's bathroom. Her friends had been in there for a really long time. Had Kanade gotten sick again? She walked over and pushed the door open. "Kanade?" she called in. "Yuki?"

There was no answer.

Bracing herself against the smell, she walked in. She turned the corner and immediately saw Yuki. Her friend stood at the opposite end of the bathroom, past the stalls. She faced the wall, her back to Ayase.

Ayase took a few more steps forward. "Yuki?" she asked. "Is - is everything all right?"

Yuki didn't move.

"Are you trying to scare me again? Come on. You know I'm a big baby."

Yuki didn't say a word.

Ayase hesistantly took a step back...

... which was when someone grabbed her in a headlock from behind.

Ayase let out a shriek and blanched as the person behind her pressed down on her throat. She recognized the arm around her neck. "Kanade?" she squeaked. "Stop it. You're hurting me."

One of the stall doors opened with a click. A man walked out. He was big - really tall, and really old, and really fat. He wore the uniform and hat of one of the subway employees. He turned towards her.

"Kanade, please let me go," Ayase begged, tears in her eyes. "This isn't funny. This isn't -"

The subway man opened.

Ayase started to scream...